Darkness
by MissRachel14
Summary: "Remember, your name is Hermione Granger, you are a Mudblood, and a know-it-all. You will ask the hat to be in Gryffindor. It always takes in your choice."  She never questioned anything. Until she came to know him.
1. Prolouge

**A/N: Hello! Sorry it's been so long! Here's the beginning of my new story!**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I am not JK Rowling, no matter how much I'd like to be.**

PROLOUGE:

Albus Dumbeldore sat in his office, waiting for her to come. He straightened a book on his Mahogany desk, stroked his beard, then heard a soft knock. "Enter." he commanded. The huge door opened to reveal Professor Sybil Trewalny. She came in slowly, clutching her many shawls, beads jangling against one another, and sat in the wooden chair across from Dumbledore. "Ah, Sybil, we have much to discuss this evening concerning rooming and pay."

"But of course!" Trewalny said, "I-" she shuddered and looked down at her hands.

"Sybil, are you quite alright?"

Her hands trembling, Trewalny looked up with a glazed look in her eyes. _**"SHE WILL COME TO HOGWARTS. SHE WHO WILL BE CREATED ON SEPTEMBER THE 19TH. CREATED BY DARK MAGIC, FOR AN EVEN DARKER PURPOSE. SHE WHO KNOWS NO PARENTS, ONLY LIES. SEPTEMBER 19TH, THEY WILL CREATE HER. THE DARK LORD'S FOLLOWERS. SEPTEMBER 19TH. HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER." **_Another shudder, and Trewalny looked up at Dumbledore. "Did you say something Headmaster?"

Dumbledore looked down at her, "Oh no, my dear. Your room will be the same, and you will receive a pay raise this year."

"Oh! That's delightful! If that is all, I must be going. I must prepare my rooms for the start of term!"

"Of course, dear Sybil, of course," Dumbledore said, waving her away.

She shut the door, and left Dumbledore to ponder what she had just prophesied. September 19th was only in 3 weeks. He took out a notebook to record what he had just learned.

**A/N: Remember to Review!**


	2. Chapter 1 : September 19th

CHAPTER ONE: SEPTEMBER 19th

"Come, Lucius, the potion!" Yaxley shouted quietly. He turned to the doorway of the underground room. It slowly opened to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange. She smiled slyly at him, and entered the dimly lit, cold room. Pacing the small space, Yaxley had to admit, Lucius was no stranger to comfort. Even in the underground room of Malfoy Manor, shiny wooden floors were present, with only the finest table, and shelves filled with the finest potion ingredients money could buy. In one corner sat a big black cauldron, big enough for a man to sit in. The other corner held a long wooden table, with two shelves above it, and a thick, dusty book open on its surface. There was only one light source in the room, conjured up by Lucius, floating above them, and its bluish glow cast shadows around them all.

"Well?" Bellatrix said, floating over to the cauldron, which was emitting a pink trail of light smoke.

"She will be created tonight," Lucius said, coming out of the shadows. "It is time to make our biggest weapon yet."

The three Death Eaters smiled. Looking into the cauldron, Bellatrix smiled evilly. "Oh how the Dark Lord will be pleased when he returns."

The other two looked at her strangely. "How will he come back Bella?" Lucius said.

"Why would he not?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow. "He always comes back."

Deciding not to meddle with Bellatrix's way of thinking, Lucius moved to the book on the table. "It is almost finished." he whispered. "Just one more ingredient. Dragon's Blood." He reached up to the top shelf above the table, and pulled down a small, dusty bottle. He blew off the dust, and smiled. "This is it."

Pulling the stopper, he poured three drops into the cauldron. It bubbled and steamed, beginning to sparkle. Yaxley stepped up to the cauldron, like planned, raising his wand and saying, "_Puella Perducat Partum Foras. Puella Perducat Partum Foras. Puella Perducat Partum Foras." _

The potion in the cauldron began to bubble furiously, and a light began to emit from it. It became so bright, the three Death Eaters had to back away, shielding their eyes. The white light became stronger, and a small voice was heard, singing a soft note. Lucius dared a peek, and saw a small girl rising out of the cauldron, seeming to float in the light. She was clothed in a deep black cloak, her eyes closed, head up to the ceiling. Then she opened her red eyes, and smiled wickedly.

The train whistle blew, and Hermione Granger quickly boarded the train, straightening her Prefect Badge. She sighed as her Muggle parents disappeared through the wall of Platform 9 ¾ . Even if they weren't really her parents, it was still sort of sad to see them go. They really were nice people, even if they wouldn't ever remember her after tonight. She had a mission this year, and she didn't know if she would be back next year. If all went as planned, there would be no need for schooling. Smiling expressionlessly, she walked down the train corridor, glancing into compartments, looking for Harry and Ron. Finally coming upon their compartment, she composed herself, and slid open the door. It wouldn't be good if they saw who she really was, or wasn't. Faking a smile, she entered.

"Hermione!" Ron stood up, embracing her in a hug. Oh how she despised the boy.

"Hello Ron, Harry," she nodded, and let Ron put her trunk on the overhead rack. She sat down by the window, and Ron sat next to her. She noticed how it looked as though he wanted to hold her hand, and she quickly folded her arms, as the train began to move. Ron looked slightly disappointed, and she pretended not to notice. Soon Ginny was caught up in her fashion magazine, while Ron and Harry were playing a game of Exploding Snap. Hermione looked out the window.

_"Remember, your name is Hermione Granger, you are a Mudblood, and a know-it-all. You will ask the hat to be in Gryffindor. It always takes in your choice." Yaxley said to her._

_ "And you must MUST befriend Harry Potter. It is crucial to the plan." Lucius added. _

_ "And we will communicate with you every few days, to remind you." Bellatrix said. "You know how."_

_ Hermione nodded. Of course she knew how. It was all a matter of a spell, and thoughts. "Now its off with you. These will be your parents," Yaxley said, pushing forward two Imperiused muggles. _

_Hermione nodded once again, and they were off for her first year at Hogwarts. _

Hermione jumped as a card hit her face. "Sorry! Sorry Mione!" Harry said quickly, reaching over to get the card from the floor. "You okay? You seemed to zone out for a minute."

"Yeah, I'm fine Harry. Just tired, didn't get much sleep," she said, faking a yawn. That much was true. She never slept, and she never had. In reality she wasn't real, and she never got tired. Nights were long sometimes, with nothing to do. They would be spent reading, or drawing. "I'm going for a walk." she suddenly said, standing up.

"I'll come with you!" Ron said loudly.

"Uh, no need Ron. I'll be right back."

"If you're sure..."

Hermione smiled, and slid the compartment door shut behind her. She needed to think, and knew she wouldn't get any of that done while in there. Walking along the corridor of the train, she causally glanced in the compartments on either side of her. Some had the blinds down, while others had the door all the way open. Most students looked worried and much more scared than last year. Voldemort was back, and had even made an appearance at the Ministry. _They should be scared._ Hermione thought to herself.

Lost in thought, she didn't see him until she was on the floor. A hand reached out, and she took it, pulling herself up, while mumbling apologies. She wasn't really sorry, as it wasn't her fault, but she had to keep up her appearance. Once she was standing, she brushed off her robes, and looked up to see Draco Malfoy walking the other way, his back to her. She looked around to see who could of possibly ran into her, but no one else was around. Only Malfoy, who was entering a compartment down the train. He looked back, nodded, and shut the door.

_What was he thinking? _Hermione thought as she turned around to go back to her compartment. _He must not have realized it was me. _But deep down, she knew he knew who it was. Shaking her head, she entered her compartment, and saw the boys putting away their game, and Ginny pulling down her trunk. They were almost at Hogwarts now. Hermione smiled, and began to pull down her trunk as well.

"Here, let me help you with that," Ron said, reaching for it.

"No, Ron, I've got it."

Ron, looking dejected, dropped his arms. "Okay Hermione. Whatever you say."

Hermione pulled down her trunk with ease, and set it on the floor. The train came to a halt, and she slid open the compartment door. It was time to go back to Hogwarts for another year. A year that was sure to be full of surprise and revenge. She smiled smugly, and left the compartment. It was going to be a fun year.

**A/N: Any mistakes? Let me know so I can fix them!**


	3. Chapter 2 :Questions and Answers

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! Here's Chapter two...also, Draco's a bit OOC **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I have a bunch of chapters written, hopefully updating will be more frequent :)**

CHAPTER 2: QUESTIONS, AND ANSWERS

It had only been a week of school, and already Hermione was bored of the nights. She never slept, and had run out of things to do. Bored of re-reading the books in the library, she decided to take a stroll of the castle corridors. Pinning her Prefect badge to her pajamas, she grabbed a robe, and left the girl's dormitories. Sneaking out of the Common Room was easy, as no one was awake at this hour. She quietly entered the corridors of Hogwarts, and began her trek.

After a few minutes of wandering, she heard something up ahead. Rounding a corner, Hermione saw Draco Malfoy walking towards her.

"Excuse me Malfoy? What are you doing at this hour?"

He turned around and looked at her quizzically. "The question is, Mudblood, what are _you_ doing?"

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, and remembered an important detail. She had forgot to charm her eyes to be their 'normal' chocolate brown color. She couldn't let him see. Looking at her feet she replied, "That is none of your concern. I have to go now." Turning around, she began to walk towards Gryffindor Tower, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Granger, I didn't mean to offend you."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione shot back, careful to keep her eyes hidden, by not turning around.

"The Mudblood jibe," he let go of her, and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

Hermione's eyes widened. Momentarily forgetting about her eyes, she turned to look at him. "What did you say?"

"I sai-Granger? What's with your eyes?"

_Shoot_, Hermione thought. She turned around and ran. She couldn't let him ask questions. It would ruin everything. He wasn't supposed to know, no one was supposed to know. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and quickly entered the portrait hole, after whispering the password. She heard it shut behind her, as she quickly made her way up to her bed. Closing the drapes around it, she pulled out her wand, pointing it at her face, and whispered the spell to change her eye color. She had to do it every week, and she silently berated herself for forgetting to do it before she left. Hoping Draco would just go to bed and forget about their encounter, she lay down to think.

He was acting strange towards her, and she wondered why he apologized for calling her a Mudblood. He had been acting, civil towards her. And she didn't know how to react to that. Laying in the dark, she thought about her task. To keep tabs on Draco Malfoy and _his_ task. She was told she would receive another task later in the year, but she apparently, 'wasn't ready for it'. Scoffing at the thought, she closed her eyes, and let her mind wander.

A few months had gone by, the nights seeming to get longer, and nothing changed in her 'friendship' with Ron and Harry. She hadn't ventured out of the common room at night, since the night so long ago when Draco almost questioned her secret. But this night was different. She felt like she _needed _to get out of the Gryffindor Tower for the night. Almost like something was pulling her away from the safety of her bed.

Cautiously donning her robe and slippers, she crept out of the Tower, and into the silent corridors of Hogwarts. After walking around for a few minutes, letting her feet carry her where they would, she ended up on the 7th floor. At the moment she turned the corner, Draco Malfoy came out of the Room of Requirement, looking frazzled, and altogether, horrible. Hermione stood at the end of the corridor, silently watching him walk across the corridor, and slump to the wall, sliding down it onto the floor. He put his head in his hands, and didn't move for quite a while. Hermione examined him, against the wall, looking positively dreadful, and came to the conclusion that his task wasn't going as planned. For some reason unknown to her, she didn't worry about that, but was worried for him. Why? She didn't know herself.

Slowly she made her way towards him, and sat next to him, all the while he never moved. "Are you okay?" she whispered so as not to startle him.

He lifted his head out of his hands, and looked her in the eyes. "No." What made him confess to her of all people, neither of them knew. "I'm not."

"Can I help?"

"No. No one can help me."

"Well, I can try," she didn't know what made her say it, and she regretted the words almost as soon as they left her mouth. Yes, she was supposed to spy on him, but she wasn't supposed to befriend him. He would be dead in a few months anyway. What was she doing? "But you have to tell me what you need help with first."

"I can't Granger. I can't tell anyone."

Hermione glanced down at his left arm, covered by the sleeve of his emerald robe. She sighed, and leaned her head against the wall. She let him be, and didn't say anything else. Soon, morning came, and Draco stood up. "I have to go." he said quickly, and left Hermione on the floor, wondering what had just happened. Slowly, she stood up, and made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, to take a hot shower, and wonder who Draco Malfoy really was.

That morning at breakfast, Hermione looked over at the Slytherin table, to see Draco's eyes boring into hers. Mesmerized, they didn't look away for a full minute. Hermione noticed how different his eyes looked when he looked at her, than at anyone else. They seemed to be softer, less guarded. They both knew something had happened that night, but neither knew what it was. A mutual friendship seemed to have formed between them, as Hermione stared into his eyes across the Great Hall. She didn't understand it, and she didn't care too. Something had happened, and she was curious to know.

Classes went by as usual, until Potions. The Gryffindors had Potions with the Slytherins, and she was oddly looking forward to it. Harry and Ron were waiting for her at the door, and they entered the dungeon classroom. Taking their usual backseat table, they sat in silence waiting for instruction. Hermione nervously pulled out her textbook, fingering through the pages.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" she faintly heard Harry ask.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Completely fine. Don't worry about me. Just a lot on my mind."

"You've seemed strange all day, you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Hermione replied, twisting a piece of her long curly hair around her finger. Then he walked in. Draco glanced at her, and nodded, unnoticed by Harry and Ron. Hermione gave him a small smile, and Snape began class.

That night, Hermione left Gryffindor Tower once again, and made her way to the 7th floor, to see Draco coming out of the Room of Requirement. "Fancy seeing you here, Malfoy."

"What are you doing Granger?"

"Walking. May I ask what you are doing?"

"No."

"But I just did. Malfoy? Why do you come here every night?"

"I can't tell you that."

Hermione sighed, she knew exactly why he came here every night, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Okay, fine." Hermione slid down the wall, and patted the floor next to her. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Look, Malfoy, I figure since we both can't sleep, and we are both here, we can talk like civilized human beings." _Even though I'm not one, _Hermione silently added in her head.

"Granger? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, It is not Malfoy. It's trying to be your friend for once."

Draco looked at her for a moment, and sat down. "Okay then, what do you want to even talk about?"

"Um, I don't know. Why don't we just ask each other questions?"

"Fine. You first."

"What's your favorite color?"

"That's all you could come up with?"

"Just answer the question Malfoy!" Hermione sighed.

"Emerald and Silver."

"No surprise there," Hermione mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Your turn."

Draco thought for a moment, and then said, "What's your favorite color?"

"Seriously Malfoy, that's not very creative," Hermione teased. "But it's red if you must know. I guess it's my turn. Favorite food?"

"Anything Italian." Draco thought for a moment, and said, "Why do you read so much?"

Looking at her hands, she replied, "Well, I don't know really. I guess it's because I didn't grow up in this world, and I want to, well, know everything about it."

"Hm. Makes sense." Draco responded. "Your turn."

"Why did you always hate me?"

Draco sighed, and ran his fingers through his messy blonde hair. "Because I was raised to hate your kind, for one thing. And I guess I was, well jealous of you. You, a Mud-sorry-muggle-born, getting better grades than me, a pureblood? That just wasn't heard of. And my family, well, it was always pounded into my head to hate muggle-borns. That they weren't pure enough for the wizarding world, and weren't meant to be here."

Hermione nodded her head. It made complete sense to her, and she understood. If only he knew she wasn't really a Muggle-born. She didn't even know what she was. "It's okay, Draco, I understand why now."

Draco looked at her in shock. He hadn't expected her to understand, or to call him by his first name. He was also shocked at how much he liked it when she called him Draco. "Um, oh. I didn't expect that." There was an awkward silence, then he said, "Well, I guess I have another question. But it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because the sun is almost up. We both shouldn't be here."

Hermione looked out a nearby window down the corridor, and realized Draco was right. Neither one of them should be there, and it was almost sun-up. She nodded, and Draco stood up, offering her a hand. She took it, and remembered how she did the same thing, those few months ago on the train. But this time she was paying attention, and noticed how warm and calloused his hand was, yet gentle. The feeling she got when touching his hand was nothing like she felt before, and it scared her. Pulling her up, he let his hand linger for a moment, then let go.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in class later."

"Yeah."

Then Draco left, for the Slytherin common room, and Hermione for Gryffindor Tower.

**A/N: Loved it? Hated it? Review!**


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